{
  "id": 9220658,
  "title": "McKinsey warns that AI may get a lot more expensive for companies",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/22/mckinsey-warns-that-ai-may-get-a-lot-more-expensive-for-companies",
  "topic": "ai",
  "section": "AI",
  "published": "2026-09-22T22:50:18.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Business Insider",
    "slug": "business-insider",
    "url": "https://www.businessinsider.com/mckinsey-ai-agent-costs-variable-expensive-2026-9"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "McKinsey warns that the cost of using AI agents for companies may skyrocket, as the pricing varies dramatically between different agents. The consulting firm found that the cost of completing a task using AI agents can differ by up to 30 times from one run to another. In a recent report, McKinsey stated that AI agents can reduce human time spent on tasks by 70%, but the firm is now cautioning that AI spending could increase further as these agents become more commonplace. Compared to text-based AI tools, AI agents are more expensive to run because they actually perform tasks, which often involve complex, multistep processes. The cost of completion for agents could vary by as much as 30 times, according to a McKinsey study. For instance, McKinsey senior partner Lari Hämäläinen likened the disparity to running an operation where daily costs could vary by a factor of 30. In a 2026 State of AI survey, McKinsey found that about a third of organizations spend more than 10% of their technology and communications budgets on AI. Sixty percent of respondents planned to increase their AI spending next year, while about one in five said that AI spending was starting to create constraints in their operating costs. This cost issue is particularly significant for software-development teams using AI agents to automate coding, as it is a demanding and \"token-hungry\" process, according to McKinsey. The firm's warning about rising AI costs comes after many companies encouraged workers to use more AI at the start of the year, with some, like Amazon, shutting down employee-created leaderboards for tracking token use due to the rising bills. Other companies, such as Coinbase and Salesforce, have also implemented limits on AI use as costs have risen. In a separate report earlier this month, McKinsey noted that agentic AI can cut the time humans spend on certain transformation-office tasks by 35% to 40%, and in some cases by 70% or more. However, McKinsey emphasized that companies must determine whether their agents generate enough value to justify the cost. Hämäläinen emphasized that much of this understanding is still emerging, and that in the coming 12 months, the issue of AI cost will become increasingly relevant.",
  "summary": "McKinsey warns companies that AI spending may rise further and be less predictable with adoption of agents",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}